Mineral-extracting machine.



Patented Aug. 22, |899.

K. STMHLGREM. MINERAL EXTRACTING MACHINE.

(Appliation led July 9, 1898.)

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Arent* MiNEsAL-EXTRACTING MACHINE.

SPEGIFIUTION forming part 0f Letters Patent No. 631,680, dated Aug-ust 22, 1899.

Application filed July 9, 1898. Serial No. 685,510. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern;

4 Be it known that I, KARL STAAHLGREN, a 'citizen of the United States, residing at Salinas city, county of Monterey, and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mineral-EXtracting Machines; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings,forming a part of this speci- My invention relates to the procuration of precious metals, especially gold,fromsilicious or other matter with which it is associated or incorporated by processes commonly called concentration and amalgamation and toa novel means of applying these, Aas here- My improvements consist in devices Whereby the comminuted ore containing gold, silver, or other valuable metals mixed with water, commonly called pulp, is subjected to a high degree of centrifugal force and at the same time disposed in a thin annular stratum and caused to flow over silver-coated surfaces, plain or corrugated, collecting thegold amalgamated with mercury thereon, such devices consisting of afrevoluble open-top vessel providedwith a removable lining, means to impel this vessel and to supply and discharge the water and ore, also in other devices accesvsory thereto.

The objects of my inventionare to perform the processof separation and amalgamation continuouslyin an'eiiective and rapid manner within small space with inexpensive appara-v tus andwithoutthe exercise of special skill on the partei attendants. 4

To these ends I provide apparatus as illustrated in the drawings, herewith forming a part of this specification, in which- Figurel is a central vertical section through a concentrating and amalgamating machine constructed according to my invention, and Fig. II is a plan view of the same machine with a portion of the top cover andA supply-` way removed.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in both gures of the drawings.

The main supporting-frame 1 consists of the usual vertical and cross members, the crossgirths 2, 3, and 4 being provided with bearings 5, 6, and 7 for the main and driving spindles 8 and 9'. The driving-spindle 9 is provided with a pulley 10 to receive a band and is fienibly connected to the main or upper spindle 8 by a universal joint at 11 for purposes herevessel 12 is a circular chamber. 14., formed by the shell 15, which can be made integral with the main frame 1 or can be separate and attached thereto.

Goncentric with the chamber 14: is a second and larger circular chamber 16, formed by the vessel 17, preferablymade integral with the shell or member 15 and provided with removable cover 18,' in which is formed a receivingnozzle 19, as seen in Fig. I.

Pendent from the covering-plate 18 is a tube 20, that can be made integral, as shown, or

separately and attached by a flange at the top. This tube 2O extends down near the bottom of the vessel 12, at one side of which is a discharge-spout 21, through which water and sand or pulp escape after treatment.

Within the rotating vessel 12 I place a removable vessel or lining 22, made of thin metal, preferably of copper or some alloy that can be electroplated with silver on its interior, so as to better resist the action of corrosive elements in the ore treated, also to cause an afiinity for mercury or amalgam. This lining 22, which may be called the amalgamating vessel, is by preference left open at the bottom to facilitate cleaning and has at its top an outward curved liange 23, as indicated by arrows in Fig. I. The material after being discharged over this flange 23 impinges against an annular curtain 24., supported by an outward-turned flange 25 under the cover 1S and at its bottom an inward-turned flange 26, as seen in the drawings.

In the bottom of the chamber-1G I place an annular pan 27, having riiiies 2S, that prevent circulation and tend to arrest' and precipitate any metal that has passed the anterior amalgamating surfaces.

IOO

The operation is as follows: A charge of quiclrsilvcr is placed in the vessel 22 or in other places of catchment, as in the vessel 24 and pan 27, or can be fedin with the material to be treated. The vessel l2 is set in rapid revolution by means of the driving-spindle 9 and tends to assume a theoretical center of gyration, permitted by the fiexible joint at ll and spherical bearing 5. Material is then run into the inlet-Way 19 from aspout 29, or in any other suitable manner, falls down through the tube 20, and being there set in revolution is by centrifugal force disposed in a thin annular sheet within the amalgainating vessel iiows upward over the corrugated surface 3l, out over the flange 23 into the annular vessel 24, out of that vessel down into the pan 27, and then overllows through the spout 21.

The removable lining 22 can be made with a smooth instead of a corrugated surface, or the corrugations can be angular,curved, deep, or shallow, as the nature of the material and the velocity ol" movement demands. Rifiies 28 can be placed in the bottom of the vessel 24: and other modifications made without niaterially departing from lthe nature and objects of my invention To clean the metal-catching su rfaces, it will be seen that all of these are removable, not even requiring fastening, and by providing duplicates for substitut-ion the process can go on without interruption. It will also be seen that by this manner of operating each particle of material is independently acted upon by a high degree of centrifugal force in proportion to its weight transversely through a thin film lwhen passing over the interior of the vessel 22, then impinges violently in a diffused state around the interior of the vessel 24, settles and overflows from there into the pan 27 to settle again, all the time in contact with catchment surfaces.

Having thus explained the nature and objects oi" my invention and the manner ot' applying the same, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a centrifugal mineral-extractor, in combination, a revoluble vessel with cylindrical vertical Wall and means for rotating the same, an exterior stationary vessel having a cylindrical wall concentric with the wall of said revoluble vessehan annular chamber surrounding said exterior stationary vessel, extending,r above the same and forming a part thereof, having an outlet-passage, a cover secured upon said annular chamber, provided with a central receiving-nozzle and a depending cylindrical wall continuous with said nozzle, said depending Wall extending within said revoluble vessel to near its bottom, a depending cylindrical curtain Within said annular chamber exterior to and concentric with said stationary and revoluble vessels, and a removable lining within said revoluble vessel, extending to and over the top of' both the revoluble and the said exterior stationary vessel in acurved lip orflange, substantially as specified.

2. In a centrifugal mineraldextractor, in combination, a stationary cylindrical vessel, provided with an annular outer chamber surrounding the same, a cover for said vessel, having a central receiving-nozzle and depending cylindrical tube concentric with said stationary cylindrical vessel, an annular removable pan 27 in the bottom of said annular outer chamber, an annular depending curtain 24C having inturned flange 26, a revoluble cylindrical vessel within said stationary vessel and concentric therewith, means for rotating said revoluble vessel on its true axis of nass, and a removable thin metal lining, loutturned at top, within said revoluble vessel, all substantially as specified.

KARL STAAIILGREN.

lVitnesses:

FREDERICK, WILLIAM Sonnonnnn, LESLIE E. BURKs. 

